75% of individuals with disabilities desire to work, yet only 22% are employed. Here are a few reasons to consider diversifying your staff by hiring an individual with a disability:
Many studies have shown that people with disabilities take fewer absent days and are more likely to stay on the job longer than non-disabled workers.
Studies conclude that workers with disabilities had significantly higher performance in safety than their counterparts without disabilities. In other words, employees with disabilities are more aware and conscientious of security in the workplace.
Eligible businesses can receive certain tax credits to aid them in hiring and accommodating workers with disabilities. You can read more about the different types of tax credits and eligibility requirements on this page from the IRS.
Both workers with and without disabilities benefit equally from a diverse work setting. By working alongside employees with disabilities, individuals who are not disabled will become more aware of how to make the workplace and other locations more inclusive and accessible to everyone.
This is the most simple but complicated reason for employers to understand about hiring workers with disabilities. Unfortunately, employers often refuse to hire individuals with disabilities simply because they believe we are incapable of doing the job or because they are unaware of the many adaptive techniques and devices available. Like anyone else, people with disabilities apply to jobs they believe they are qualified for and capable of doing!
The following page lists more common myths about hiring people with disabilities.
Not ready to commit to hiring an individual with a disability? The Arc of Clarke County always needs Assessment Sites that will allow our Employment Services team to do a short (2 to 4-hour) assessment with an individual to determine their interest and skills. Serving as an Assessment Site is not a commitment to hiring an individual and there is no cost or liability for the employer.
The Arc of Clarke County is available to provide Disability Awareness Training to you and your staff at no cost to you!